Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Happyliza, it sounds like you are doing too much, making too many changes, expecting a damaged system to respond too fast. Why don't you just back up and regroup? Eat bacon for breakfast - crispy, not too fatty. Or a nice sausage. Eating in the morning is crucial for straightening out the adrenals.

Ditch the coffee. It is just keeping the adrenals stressed.

The rest of the time, eat not-too-fatty veal and a bit of instant mashed potatoes. We've found that the instant variety are very soothing to the digestion without all the anti-nutrients of nightshades. You can have 3/4 cup of the instant potatoes with every meal until things settle down.

Stop with all the supplements and stuff for the moment except for a very select few. Do find which digestive supplement helps you most. Just stabilize and then begin again very, very slowly.

I think that's very good advice! And the last thing somebody with digestive problems needs is a strict set of do's and don'ts to follow based upon someone else's needs. Be flexible and try stuff, intelligently, while hopefully researching and learning about what might work from people that value objectivity.

One thing I have recently been reminded about concerning supplements is that when you stop them all, you do run the risk of cutting out a few that were actually doing something for you, but that's OK. Once you see how you do without any, you can take a hard look at symptoms and decide if anything that stands out that could be addressed with a single supplement.

I was reminded of this going through the SCD Lifestyle "digestive troubleshooting" videos (for sale at scdlifestyle.com), one of which encourages you to start with a SINGLE supplement tweak, based on symptoms, and see how it goes. I think there are 10 different supplements/tweaks to choose from in the video, or something like that.

Taking a bunch of supportive supplements at the start of a healing diet makes sense, because you need to see results soon, and you don't know exactly what to take. After that, though, ditching everything and then re-introducing based upon whether it can be seen to make a difference makes sense. It's too easy to just continue on with a bunch of stuff, "hoping" for more improvement.

By the way, there are also supplements that you can take like food to augment your dietary needs. They don't necessarily have to be tested for results the same way, although it can be good to eliminate and reintroduce them to make sure there isn't something in them to which you react. You may not see a difference, however, unless you were extremely deficient in something. My supplements in this category currently include magnesium glycinate, vitamin D (D3), sodium ascorbate, and MSM, in moderate to small doses.

 

[Goemon_]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

After several month on the KD (very close 0g of carbs) I have starting testing foods.

15 days ago I injured myself. The surgeon gave me antibiotic for 3 days. That seems to give me mild stomach pain. I have search for a good antibiotic and order this one : _http://www.vitacost.com/renew-life-ultimate-flora-critical-care-50-billion

I am waiting for my order. In the meanwhile I am testing fermented cabbage juice. After 2 days it gives me more stomach pain but I will finish the 3 days testing (one more meal to go now).

So, it seems this food is a no go for me.

However, this morning my stool passed down very easily without beeing diarrhea. That haven't been the case for quite a while. That the good part of it. So, I may re-try it in low amount in a near future. I may also mention that the stool was a big one (which looks logical to me as it seems to have been a cleansing process). It was very pale, which look bad to me (who know why).

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Keep in mind that digestive symptoms can run in cycles, and those don't necessarily correlate with what you have just been eating even though it may seem that they do. Even if you have a reaction to a food, if it occurs in the colon then there may be a several-day delay before you feel it. For those kinds of problems a food/health journal may help.

For some people, multiple elimination/reintroduction tests over an extended period of time (months) may be required to rule certain foods in or out based on direct response.

And then there is still the possibility of food "class" responses, where you have to eliminate an entire class of foods before you see a difference. At least those kinds of problems tend to be more symptom than cause, and once the cause is corrected the foods can often be reintroduced.

Still, sometimes I just want to scream. Right now I am ready to say that a certain amount of gassiness is just me, and start working on the bigger issue -- fatigue. Hoping, of course, that the cause of the gassiness isn't also the cause of the fatigue.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Still, sometimes I just want to scream. Right now I am ready to say that a certain amount of gassiness is just me, and start working on the bigger issue -- fatigue. Hoping, of course, that the cause of the gassiness isn't also the cause of the fatigue.

I'm just real happy that all "gas" issues have ceased since I cut out all the veggies and indigestible fibers. I know you think you need those critters, but I don't and I don't want 'em! I doubt that we had them when we ate only meat on the icy tundra!

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Still, sometimes I just want to scream. Right now I am ready to say that a certain amount of gassiness is just me, and start working on the bigger issue -- fatigue. Hoping, of course, that the cause of the gassiness isn't also the cause of the fatigue.

I'm just real happy that all "gas" issues have ceased since I cut out all the veggies and indigestible fibers. I know you think you need those critters, but I don't and I don't want 'em! I doubt that we had them when we ate only meat on the icy tundra!

Believe me, I am and have been weighing your advice, and I have been considering another zero-carb cleanout like the one I did a year ago. I have to time it to not be interrupted by travel, but the conference that interrupted it last year near this time will be here at home this year, so that won't be an issue.

My overall GI health is improved from a year ago, and this time around could be a different experience. The downside of dong it is that it kills beneficial bacteria and, depending on what is really going on inside, could lead to an increased imbalance. The last time I experienced a marked improvement followed quickly by a "plunge."

I also have another potential tool, courtesy of scdlifestyle.com, in the form of a leaky-gut sealing process based on l-glutamine. I have experimented with the supplement, to no effect (other than a heightened grocery bill), but this process is more detailed and uses higher doses. I have every reason to think leaky gut is a major factor for me, and some reason to think that it may remain a problem even in the absence of dietary triggers. It can be associated, as I think I have mentioned, with low levels of the hormone pregnenolone, and low levels of that are one of my central, lifelong health problems. So that's on the list too.

 

[happyliza]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Happyliza, it sounds like you are doing too much, making too many changes, expecting a damaged system to respond too fast. Why don't you just back up and regroup? Eat bacon for breakfast - crispy, not too fatty. Or a nice sausage. Eating in the morning is crucial for straightening out the adrenals.

Ditch the coffee. It is just keeping the adrenals stressed.

The rest of the time, eat not-too-fatty veal and a bit of instant mashed potatoes. We've found that the instant variety are very soothing to the digestion without all the anti-nutrients of nightshades. You can have 3/4 cup of the instant potatoes with every meal until things settle down.

Stop with all the supplements and stuff for the moment except for a very select few. Do find which digestive supplement helps you most. Just stabilize and then begin again very, very slowly.

Thanks for this Laura - a real relief, as it sounds much more managable (except the coffee addiction of course!) I must admit I was trying to catch up from where I left off last time - I had even given up coffee at that stage. Instant mash will help soak up any fat and was one of my comfort foods anyway.

Since I had the farmer's breakfast this morning I have only had two loo visits and the nausea has disappeared as well I was able to do two small jobs in the house. The bloating also feels as if it is subsiding. Luckily liquid stools is very rare for me so I can monitor this.

I haven't really grocked the supplements properly despite reading threads and writing down from the books. I have written down the legal and illegal foods the Megan recommended bearing in mind a lot does not apply to us but does assist gut problems.

Would you recommend I take the following select supplements?:

Vitamin C - because body cannot provide it. (Biocare Vit C powder at present though have to take capsules when run out)
Vitamin B - Complex 100 - Solgar - too support my nervous system
Omega 3 Fish Oil - Higher Nature - I still have shoulder/joint problems
I also have a bit of Higher Nature pure marine collagen to finish
Digestive Aid - Veridian -this was what I bought to try next. It still has Betaine in it so I hope that is not the culprit.
Zinc - I am not sure whether I will be able to get enough of this from my food sources. Am a bit wary of letting this one go now.
I know Liver is excellent so I will try to increase that hiding it in the potato.

Magnesium Maleate - I only have one bottle of this but can will use it now I need it most. Perhaps Magnesium baths will suffice after that?

Beatlemaniac : Hot broth in this heat doesn't sound very appealing - even my black coffee was ice coffee! But I will see if I can order some marrow bones, trotters etc from the pork shop and make another batch. At least it ensures I have a full breakfast.

Can anyone recommend what I can order to drink in cafes. This is my only social life and meet ups here and they are not too keen on me sitting there just with water! I know it sounds strange but otherwise I spend too much time in the house on my own and crave company, and to stay IRL. I gladly take myself and dog for a walk and to the beach (do aqua aerobics for resistance) so get plenty of exercise.

Nicklebleu:

You might want to swap the coffee for tea ... Pu'erh works great for me (with other green or black teas in the morning I vomit ...). Have you ever done an elimination trial - maybe that would be a first start, once your system has rebalanced a bit - just bacon, instant mashed potatoes and some green leafy vegetables (or cruciferous veggies) for a while and then reintroduce slowly one food after another every three days to see what works and what not. I think to go cold-turkey into ketosis only works if your body is not too damaged. So I can wholeheartedly support Laura's advice - take it slowly and only change one thing at the time. As to supplements I would consider only taking magnesium (preferably the maleate variety) and see how you go. Probiotic tablets are pretty much worthless if they are not "enteric coated" - they dissolve in the stomach and never make it "further south". If you have intractable diarrhoea and you want to rebuild your intestinal flora one new concept that has arisen is "fecal transplant" - I know that sounds very yucky, but the benefits might be very far reaching. Here are some links: _http://www.huffingtonpost.com/colleen-r-kelly-md/fecal-transplant-progress_b_3569342.html _http://www.voanews.com/content/fecal-transplants-used-to-cure-intestinal-disorders/1723974.html

Thanks for the suggestions. I have never heard of Pu'erh - can you give me a bit more info about it? I doubt if I can find it here but with more info perhaps someone going over the border could get it for me?

It was my plan to do the elimination diet as I am sure I have created more food sensitivies for myself than usual due to the compromised digestive system. More than anything I need to protect my MITOCHONDRIA it seems, if they haven't been hammered to death already by low fat and carbs. I think I now need to give the machine a good while to stabilise. How would I know when a good time to start the elimination would be? I know my dentist was amazed at how quickly I detoxed with the chelation after I had my amalgams out, but that was 3 years ago now. However i was nearly off the scale on toxic metals at the time. I still have some of the chelation herbal mixture left - would that be good to use?

After these 2 episodes I don't trust myself to 'know' when my body would be up for elimination. Do I get the book 'Detoxify or Die' and follow what she says? Or do you mean do what Laura suggests, which I will do, stick to that for quite a while, then introduce one more item slowly, so that by the time I do that, it will be possible to monitor everything and note any abnormalities. eg say intro broccoli for 3 days and see how it goes or do you mean we are allowed the low carb foods anyway and intro say tomatoes (belladonna family)? A bit confused on what foods I introduce. Sorry.

I read about the fecal transplant and found it a good natural discovery. A bit like drink/wash with your own urine but I never researched that! As I said luckilyit is not normally a problem but a sure sign something was distinctly wrong inside - a drastic way for a coear out that was for sure but hopefully I can now fill up with good foods. But still if these symptoms persist I would seriously consider it if it is available to do such transplants here.

Megan:

I think that's very good advice! And the last thing somebody with digestive problems needs is a strict set of do's and don'ts to follow based upon someone else's needs. Be flexible and try stuff, intelligently, while hopefully researching and learning about what might work from people that value objectivity.

One thing I have recently been reminded about concerning supplements is that when you stop them all, you do run the risk of cutting out a few that were actually doing something for you, but that's OK. Once you see how you do without any, you can take a hard look at symptoms and decide if anything that stands out that could be addressed with a single supplement.

I was reminded of this going through the SCD Lifestyle "digestive troubleshooting" videos (for sale at scdlifestyle.com), one of which encourages you to start with a SINGLE supplement tweak, based on symptoms, and see how it goes. I think there are 10 different supplements/tweaks to choose from in the video, or something like that.

Taking a bunch of supportive supplements at the start of a healing diet makes sense, because you need to see results soon, and you don't know exactly what to take. After that, though, ditching everything and then re-introducing based upon whether it can be seen to make a difference makes sense. It's too easy to just continue on with a bunch of stuff, "hoping" for more improvement.

By the way, there are also supplements that you can take like food to augment your dietary needs. They don't necessarily have to be tested for results the same way, although it can be good to eliminate and reintroduce them to make sure there isn't something in them to which you react. You may not see a difference, however, unless you were extremely deficient in something. My supplements in this category currently include magnesium glycinate, vitamin D (D3), sodium ascorbate, and MSM, in moderate to small doses

.

Thanks for this advice. I certainly am not happy popping a load of tablets and fillers etc so the less the better. I have suggested above what I THINK i need. I am not taking any multi vitamins. When you say food do you mean like the table in PBPM where she says which foods provide which supplements? I intended to use that as my guide for balancing my food intake this time.

Sure sounds like good advice and I know that you have had particularly stubborn problems in this regard and I admire all the extra research you have been sleuthing because one size does not fit all as we know.

Way to go. Thanks everyone. This will keep me out of mischief for a while lol.

 

[Carl]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for this Laura - a real relief, as it sounds much more managable (except the coffee addiction of course!) I must admit I was trying to catch up from where I left off last time - I had even given up coffee at that stage.

FWIW, I recently went back on coffee for a few days in work. The results were lower back inflammation, smelly armpits, and a tendency for irritability and splitting. I also know people on the diet who drink it all day with no issues, but it's something really worth getting rid of for a while if you can fight through the couple days of headaches and fog.

Would you recommend I take the following select supplements?:

Vitamin C - because body cannot provide it. (Biocare Vit C powder at present though have to take capsules when run out)
Vitamin B - Complex 100 - Solgar - too support my nervous system
Omega 3 Fish Oil - Higher Nature - I still have shoulder/joint problems
I also have a bit of Higher Nature pure marine collagen to finish
Digestive Aid - Veridian -this was what I bought to try next. It still has Betaine in it so I hope that is not the culprit.
Zinc - I am not sure whether I will be able to get enough of this from my food sources. Am a bit wary of letting this one go now.
I know Liver is excellent so I will try to increase that hiding it in the potato.

Magnesium Maleate - I only have one bottle of this but can will use it now I need it most. Perhaps Magnesium baths will suffice after that?


Beatlemaniac : Hot broth in this heat doesn't sound very appealing - even my black coffee was ice coffee! But I will see if I can order some marrow bones, trotters etc from the pork shop and make another batch. At least it ensures I have a full breakfast.

The gelatine is actually quite delicious cold as well, or just warmed and eaten in a bowl with breakfast. If you're worried about minerals (or not, either way), broth is a staple for this diet. It took me a while to realise that I'm noticeably more relaxed and happy on the days that I have broth, compared to the days that I don't.

Can anyone recommend what I can order to drink in cafes. This is my only social life and meet ups here and they are not too keen on me sitting there just with water! I know it sounds strange but otherwise I spend too much time in the house on my own and crave company, and to stay IRL. I gladly take myself and dog for a walk and to the beach (do aqua aerobics for resistance) so get plenty of exercise.

Mint tea, roobois tea with vanilla, white tea.. the list goes on :)

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Vitamin C - because body cannot provide it. (Biocare Vit C powder at present though have to take capsules when run out)
Vitamin B - Complex 100 - Solgar - too support my nervous system
Omega 3 Fish Oil - Higher Nature - I still have shoulder/joint problems
I also have a bit of Higher Nature pure marine collagen to finish
Digestive Aid - Veridian -this was what I bought to try next. It still has Betaine in it so I hope that is not the culprit.
Zinc - I am not sure whether I will be able to get enough of this from my food sources. Am a bit wary of letting this one go now.
I know Liver is excellent so I will try to increase that hiding it in the potato.

Magnesium Maleate - I only have one bottle of this but can will use it now I need it most. Perhaps Magnesium baths will suffice after that?

FWIW, your supplement choice looks good to me. I think magnesium malate is especially helpful when transitioning in the diet. As for the elimination diet, it is one of those things in which a lot of forum members (and people in general) started their dietary changes, so know that any time is a good time.

Can anyone recommend what I can order to drink in cafes. This is my only social life and meet ups here and they are not too keen on me sitting there just with water!

I will order mineral water with bubbles, with an added lemon. I would bring my own natural sweetener to add in some occasions. Or I would ask for black tea and ice, and prepare some iced tea. Or just black tea. Or I will ask for herbal infusions.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...I have written down the legal and illegal foods the Megan recommended bearing in mind a lot does not apply to us but does assist gut problems.

I didn't mention it, but there are quite a few items on the SCD legal list that we do not recommend here. The way to use the list is to look up those foods that you are eating, or that you are contemplating, based on what you know about good choices. If you are experiencing chronic too-frequent bowel movements or loose stools (or worse) then the SCD is especially indicated, since that is what it was designed for. If it's not chronic, you can still try it and see if it helps. If the root problem is in the upper GI tract then you could see results fairly quickly, if it works.

The nice thing about SCD is that the trivial case of it is a zero-carb diet. The closer you are to that, the less you will need to eliminate. :)

There are some cautions about packaged/processed foods that go with SCD, that could apply to instant potatoes. Sometimes processed foods are coated with starch (or worse yet, flour!), which can make them SCD illegal, to say the least. Hopefully if there is something like that in the package then it is mentioned on the label, but it isn't always. But then again unless you have extreme, chronic problems, it may not matter that much. Your odds are better if it isn't made by a transnational conglomerate, and especially if it isn't specifically made for sale in the US where the standards are very low.

...Thanks for this advice. I certainly am not happy popping a load of tablets and fillers etc so the less the better. I have suggested above what I THINK i need. I am not taking any multi vitamins. When you say food do you mean like the table in PBPM where she says which foods provide which supplements? I intended to use that as my guide for balancing my food intake this time...

My sodium ascorbate and MSM are powders, which eliminates additives and is easier to swallow after dissolving in water. I am on the lookout for a powdered magnesium as well. That cuts down on the pill popping.

What I meant about supplements as food is that taking some supplements is analogous to eating food. It's another way of obtaining nutrients, as opposed to taking pills (or powders) to treat and improve a specific condition. If you can't obtain the food that has it, you can take the nutritional supplement as a workaround and that is what I do with magnesium especially, and with vitamin D (being an indoor/office worker). The idea to to avoid problems before they need treating.

Since doing this is inherently preventive in nature, you can't easily test these supplements to see if they work unless you have a serious, symptomatic deficiency. I can imagine experiments that would test them, but I don't want to do those (it has to do with how "daily values" are determined -- you need to cause a deficiency first). So I just take them without knowing for sure how much good they do.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...FWIW, I recently went back on coffee for a few days in work. The results were lower back inflammation, smelly armpits, and a tendency for irritability and splitting. I also know people on the diet who drink it all day with no issues, but it's something really worth getting rid of for a while if you can fight through the couple days of headaches and fog.

I am not a coffee "defender" per se, but when you do these n=1 experiments you need to be careful of "confounding variables." Such experiments are inherently uncontrolled and can lead to eliminating things you don't need to. In the case of coffee that is no great loss, as long as it stops there.

So the first thing I wonder is if you are drinking coffee supplied to you at work. If so, they often go for cheap coffee that may well be contaminated with mold toxins. Where I work, they often go for premium varieties (I think the coffee drinkers share the cost), but not for organic or any sort of health-conscious perpective that I know of. So at work, I don't drink the coffee unless I brought it in a thermos. Normally I have it in the morning before work, if I have it at all, and I am done for the day.

The one thing I do consume at work is the filtered water. Otherwise if it goes into my mouth it has to have come from home.

 

[happyliza]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thank y'all for all the recommendations. Glad I can have herbal teas - have loads at home too. Also like the idea of carbonized water and lemon as it can pose as a G&T! Supplement advice very helpful so too was what to watch out for on the instant potato - none in my local shop and certainly wouldn't touch anything from Nestle, so will try the local supermarkets.

Interesting about coffee and irritability and splitting - I think I can agree with that - sometimes my mood alters for no apparrant reason so may be the key as to the culprit omitting intrusion of course.

 

[monotonic]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Probiotic tablets are pretty much worthless if they are not "enteric coated" - they dissolve in the stomach and never make it "further south".

They might work if you have low stomach acid, forcing your pyloric valve to open before it reaches the concentration necessary to kill bacteria. PBPM has a great description of this. It is the same concept as waiting for a sauerkraut to become acidic enough so that you can leave it on the counter and use it up without worrying about it spoiling.

So people with pyloric valve or H. Pylori problems may benefit from non-enteric probiotics, but probably not in a way conducive to actual health; fixing the stomach/digestion would be better.

HCl arrived today! We got the Premier brand. We can't be picky since funds are limited.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I have the full text of the papers referenced in the above paper to support the 3.6 mmol/L claim and I will try to take a closer look sometime soon. I am quite curious to see where they came up with that number.

Thanks for the cautionary advice, Megan. I have probably stayed well within reasonable limits (of fat intake, I still need to see how I am to balance sufficient protein intake) for myself at least. The paper stated that CNS utilisation of ketones starts at 4 mmol/L not 3.6. I am also very interested in how they got that figure. The references are not free though, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to understand them. But I'm assuming that ketosis below that level only provides energy for muscles and other non-brain stuff, thus the brain is still thriving on glucose from various sources.

That figure impressed me mainly because I had a confirmation on my part, as I measured at slightly above 4 mmol/L last night which coincided with perceptibly better brain function, although it could have been just a correlative fluke. Maybe participating in the forum is what's making my brain work! Sometimes things seem to happen together and it's hard to tease out what caused what. Before that measurement I had increased my fat intake substantially just in the midday and for dinner (while reducing protein). Today, I am having mild stomach pains again as I try to consume more fat.

I have reached the end of the Veech paper (reference 3), which is interesting and remarkably clear (relatively speaking) in its own right. It doesn't directly say anything about CNS utilization of ketones per se that I can find, but it does talk about a blood ketone (BOHB) level of around 4 mmol/L or more being needed to effectively treat refractory epilepsy (20+ seizures per day). Evidently some of studies have monitored urinary ketones instead (!) and the blood BOHB levels can only be estimated as being around 4.0.

The paper also confirms the fasting BOHB range as about 5-7. All this is interesting, but doesn't say a lot about the threshold level at which the brain benefits. So on to the 2nd paper (reference 6) by Fukao et al. See you in a bit...

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I haven't really grocked the supplements properly despite reading threads and writing down from the books. I have written down the legal and illegal foods the Megan recommended bearing in mind a lot does not apply to us but does assist gut problems.

Like I said, I think you really need to simplify. So, let's look at what you've got.

Would you recommend I take the following select supplements?:

Vitamin C - because body cannot provide it. (Biocare Vit C powder at present though have to take capsules when run out)

Have you had your ferritin levels tested?

I actually rarely take Vitamin C now because there is a different system that operates in the body when your carbs are very low and you don't need it. I only take it when I feel I need an extra detox or I'm sick.

Vitamin B - Complex 100 - Solgar - too support my nervous system

If you are eating plenty of meat protein, AND taking a good digestive aid such as betaine hcl, and thus, your food is digesting, you probably don't need B vitamins either. If you are low on any of them, you might want to just stick with a sublingual B-12 and maybe a B-6 at night.

Omega 3 Fish Oil - Higher Nature - I still have shoulder/joint problems

Fish oil is always good. So is conjugated linoleic acid taken along with. If you have joint pains, you really need to ditch the coffee.

Digestive Aid - Veridian -this was what I bought to try next. It still has Betaine in it so I hope that is not the culprit.

Well, I guess you'll see. I'm finding the betaine to be very helpful. But if it is too much for you, there are others to try.

Zinc - I am not sure whether I will be able to get enough of this from my food sources. Am a bit wary of letting this one go now.

Zinc is good. Low doses a couple times a day. However, if you have an iron problem or a heavy metal problem, the zinc won't do much good.

Magnesium Maleate - I only have one bottle of this but can will use it now I need it most. Perhaps Magnesium baths will suffice after that?

If you have the salts for the bath, that is fine and eliminates one set of pills. I like to really minimize.

Beatlemaniac : Hot broth in this heat doesn't sound very appealing - even my black coffee was ice coffee! But I will see if I can order some marrow bones, trotters etc from the pork shop and make another batch. At least it ensures I have a full breakfast.

I start my day with strong black tea and a bit of xylitol. It blocks iron absorption, too, and I have a bit of iron overload still. I've done about 6 donations and maybe one more will do me and then I'll get on a regular schedule 3 or 4 times a year.

Our breakfast every single day for a couple of years now is bacon and sausages. Some have eggs too, but I couldn't eat eggs for a couple of years. I have them occasionally now, but they bother me if I eat them two days in a row. Ham is good for breakfast, so are hamburgers. You need a good meaty breakfast, no carbs in the morning. wait until between 2 and five for your second meal of the day to have your potatoes. Usually, we only eat twice a day.

Can anyone recommend what I can order to drink in cafes. This is my only social life and meet ups here and they are not too keen on me sitting there just with water!

Not too hard to figure out, tea or a tisane. I have black tea all day until 5 in the afternoon. None after then.

Lemonade is good as long as you sweeten it with xylitol or stevia. Just order sparkling water with lemon, carry your own sweetener in your bag everywhere you go.

I think to go cold-turkey into ketosis only works if your body is not too damaged. So I can wholeheartedly support Laura's advice - take it slowly and only change one thing at the time. As to supplements I would consider only taking magnesium (preferably the maleate variety) and see how you go.

Definitely. Like I said, you need to back up and regroup.

Probiotic tablets are pretty much worthless if they are not "enteric coated" - they dissolve in the stomach and never make it "further south". If you have intractable diarrhoea and you want to rebuild your intestinal flora one new concept that has arisen is "fecal transplant" - I know that sounds very yucky, but the benefits might be very far reaching.

If you can get enough acid going in your stomach, you'll digest better and even if you have leaky gut, it won't be undigested stuff passing into your system as long as you don't eat a bunch of veggies which do NOT digest in the stomach... they spend ages rotting in the intestines and aggravating the leaky gut. To really heal the gut, you need LOW RESIDUE foods and they need to digest in the stomach.

More than anything I need to protect my MITOCHONDRIA it seems, if they haven't been hammered to death already by low fat and carbs.

Why the heck are you even worrying about your mitochondria at this point when your whole system is going kaflooey because you are doing too much, too soon? Fuggedaboutit and take it easy on yourself. Sounds like you flogged yourself with low fat and too many carbs and now you are flogging yourself the other way. You gotta take this serious and let the body have a break fer cryin out loud!

I think I now need to give the machine a good while to stabilise. How would I know when a good time to start the elimination would be? I know my dentist was amazed at how quickly I detoxed with the chelation after I had my amalgams out, but that was 3 years ago now. However i was nearly off the scale on toxic metals at the time. I still have some of the chelation herbal mixture left - would that be good to use?

Herbal chelators are almost worthless. If you haven't done DMSA and EDTA, you ain't detoxed. But geezus, don't think about that NOW!

Maybe you could add lactoferrin - take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. That will help in a gentle way.

After these 2 episodes I don't trust myself to 'know' when my body would be up for elimination. Do I get the book 'Detoxify or Die' and follow what she says? Or do you mean do what Laura suggests, which I will do, stick to that for quite a while, then introduce one more item slowly, so that by the time I do that, it will be possible to monitor everything and note any abnormalities. eg say intro broccoli for 3 days and see how it goes or do you mean we are allowed the low carb foods anyway and intro say tomatoes (belladonna family)? A bit confused on what foods I introduce. Sorry.

Don't even worry about all that right now. Obviously, you are doing damage to your body all over the place by trying too much, too soon. Back off!

People, happyliza is having problems keeping things straight and organizing herself on this. She is getting too much from too many people and she needs to just settle down and get stable.

It will take you at least three months to get into a position to take the next step. So forget about all those complicated things, testings and so forth. Just don't eat it if it isn't meat/fish with a bit of mashed potato and green peas or green beans, and or a small green salad. Don't drink it if it isn't tea or water, plain or fizzy. That's not so hard, now is it?

 

[Carl]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I am not a coffee "defender" per se, but when you do these n=1 experiments you need to be careful of "confounding variables." Such experiments are inherently uncontrolled and can lead to eliminating things you don't need to. In the case of coffee that is no great loss, as long as it stops there.

So the first thing I wonder is if you are drinking coffee supplied to you at work. If so, they often go for cheap coffee that may well be contaminated with mold toxins. Where I work, they often go for premium varieties (I think the coffee drinkers share the cost), but not for organic or any sort of health-conscious perpective that I know of. So at work, I don't drink the coffee unless I brought it in a thermos. Normally I have it in the morning before work, if I have it at all, and I am done for the day.

The one thing I do consume at work is the filtered water. Otherwise if it goes into my mouth it has to have come from home.

Yeah I'm aware of the mold thing. We've been trying many different coffees, some very expensive, and they all have the exact same effect on me, so I think it's more likely to be just coffee in general than the mold. Interestingly black tea, and even green tea, both mess with me as well, giving me a fluid-like pressure in my head, ears, and neck lots of mucous in my nose and throat. It's frustrating when I have to speak to clients and have a very nasal voice with no resonance. Doing some lymphatic massage seems to ease it slightly.
So it may be that I'm just particularly sensitive to caffeinated or acidic drinks, though white tea has always been a good'un for me :)

Today has been my first day off caffeine in a while, just fighting through mild withdrawl symptoms but I've been much more balanced and stable over all.